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The First Church 

Springfield, Massachusetts^ r^j^At tJUu/^L 



1637— 1915 



Milestones Through Twenty-Seven 
Decades 



^First Church, glorious landmark 
Standing for the right, 
Through the ages guiding 
Pilgrims to the light. ''^ 



Springfield, Mass. 
1915 







/J- 



FOREWORD 

The Opportunity Seekers present 
this slight contribution to the history 
of the First Church, hoping it may 
recall to the older generation pleasant 
memories of faces and events and put 
the younger people in touch with 
bygone days. 

Committee on Publication 

Dorothy S. Adams Bertha D. Ladd 

Frances H. Kingsley Mabel R. Watson 

Chairman 
Ida F. Farrar 



THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS 

CONTENTS 

Page 

Church Buildhigs ....... 7 

Ministers ........ lo 

People of Note in the Early Church ... 13 

Deacons of Yesterday and Today .... 15 

Parish Committee, 1800-1915 .... 16 

Young People's Society of Christian Endeavor . . 18 

Missionaries ........ 19 

The Sunday School ...... 20 

Music and Musicians ...... 22 

Some Church Antiquities ..... 27 

Milestones . . . . . . . -31 




1645 

YE FIRST MEETING HOUSE 

40 X 25 feet 



THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS 



1636 
SPRINGFIELD SETTLED 

1637 
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH ORGANIZED 

(Fourteenth church organized in Massachusetts Bay Colony) 



1915 
Membership 1300 



CHURCH BUILDINGS 

The First Meeting House was built by Thomas 
Cooper and stood on the southeast corner of Court 
Square facing Meeting House Lane (Elm Street). It 
had a shingled roof — a rare thing in those days — and 
two turrets, one designed for a bell, the other for a 
"watch howse" to guard against the approach of 
unfriendly Indians. Aden and women occupied sepa- 
rate sections of the church. 

"New England's Sabbath day 
Is heavenlike, still and pure, 
When Israel walks the way 
Up to the temple door. 
The time we tell 
When there to come 
By beat of drum 
Or sounding shell." 

The Second Meeting House was built in 1677 just 
west of the first one at a cost of ^400, John Pynchon 
being chairman of the building committee. It had a 
turret but no bell for ten years. It was protected from 
attack by the Indians, by a five-foot rail fence, excepting 
at the rear where a hedge was planted. 

There is no reproduction of the building. 



1752 

THE THIRD MEETING 

HOUSE 

60 X 46 feet 




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1819 

THE FOURTH CHURCH 

BUILDING 

90 X 72 feet 



THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS 

The Third Church Building was begun in 1749 
and was completed three years later. It stood directly 
east of the present edifice with its front on Elm Street 
and its main entrance at the side, facing Main Street. 
The rooster crowned its spire and clock faces told the 
time from its tower. Within were the customary high 
pulpit, ponderous sounding board and square seats. 

The deacons, wearing a peculiar headdress, sat 
facing the congregation. Men and women were now 
allowed to sit together but were seated according to 
wealth and position in the town. 

The Fourth Church Building was erected by 
Isaac Damon of Northampton, a famous church and 
bridge builder. Its cost, beyond the sum realized by 
the old building, was not to exceed $15,000, raised by 
disposing of 300 shares at $50 each. About 1826, foot 
stoves were dispensed with and a furnace installed. 
In 1862 cushions were put in. Jenny Lind said of its 
acoustic properties it was the finest auditorium she had 
used in America. 

CHAPELS 

A very small wooden chapel, used for prayer meetings 
and social gatherings, was built on the north side of the 
church probably in the sixties. Jenny Lind used it as 
a retiring room when she sang in the church in 1 851. 

The present parish house was erected in 1874 ^^ a 
cost of $35,000. 



THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS 



MINISTERS 

Rev. George Moxon, 1637 — 1652, term 15 years. 

The first pastor came to the colony from Dorchester 
at the age of thirty-five, attracted here by his friend- 
ship for William Pynchon. He was a theologian of 
no mean ability, but on account of unpleasant experi- 
ences in the town, especially in connection with the 
witchcraft delusion, he returned to England in 1652 
with his friend William Pynchon. 

Rev. Pelatiah Glover, 1660 — 1692, term 32 years. 
A great catastrophe occurred during this pastorate 
in 1675, when the town was burned by the Indians. 
Mr. Glover, who was a great student, had his "brave 
library" entirely destroyed. He stayed by his post, 
however, and John Pynchon bears witness that he 
was a "faithful minister." 

Rev. Daniel Brewer, 1694 — 1733, term 40 years. 

Church records of this period are very meager. It 
was a time of quiet and growth. During this term 
the West Springfield and Longmeadow churches, the 
first off-shoots from the mother church, were organized. 

Rev. Robert Breck, 1736 — 1784, term 49 years. 

Called to be pastor at the age of 22, he was charged 
by neighboring ministers with being unorthodox and 
on the very day of his ordination was arrested by a 
magistrate. He met his opponents so frankly and 
fearlessly, however, and behaved during his entire 
ministry in so tactful a manner, that he disarmed 
criticism and won his people. The "half-way 
covenant" was adopted during this period and the 
third church built. The first record of the church 
now extant is that kept by Mr. Breck, with great 
care, in his own hand writing. A treasurer's book 
was also opened at the same time. 

10 



THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS 



Rev. Bezaleel Howard, D.D., 1785— 1809, term 23 years. 
Mr. Howard came to the town on horseback from 
Boston for a six week's trial as preacher when but a 
young man, and remained here until his death. 
Obliged to give up preaching on account of his 
health, his studies led him toward the liberal faith 
and with twenty-five others he withdrew from the 
Congregational Church and founded the Church of 
the Unity. He was called a fool for prophesying a 
bridge across the Connecticut River, but his prophecy 
came true in 1805. 

Rev. Samuel Osgood, D.D., 1809— 1854, term 45 years. 
During a period when the church was rent by a split 
in orthodoxy, and the country stirred on the question 
of slavery, Dr. Osgood stood fearlessly and without 
compromise for what he thought to be right, and was 
a power in the community. During his term of 
service the Sunday School was organized (1818) 
the present church building was erected (1819) and 
Springfield became a city (1852). Over 1,000 souls 
were added to the church during his ministry. The 
high pulpit was removed and the pews were lowered. 

Rev. Henry M. Parsons, 1854— 1870, term 16 years. 
During the troublous times of the Civil War, he held 
the people to the faith of the fathers and won new 
members by his fidelity and genial spirit. Always 
fond of Bible study, he brought about an afternoon 
instead of a noon session of the Sunday School. 

Rev. Edward A. Reed, D.D., 1871— 1878, term 7 years. 
A young man of winning personality and fine enthu- 
siasm for his work, he came to the First Church 
directly from the theological seminary. During his 
ministry the chapel was built and the Moody and 
Sankey revival occurred. From here he accepted a 
call to the Madison Avenue Dutch Reformed Church 



II 



THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS 

of New York City. From there he was called to the 
Second Congregational Church of Holyoke where he 
has served as pastor more than 25 years. 

Rev. Edward Payson Terhune, D.D., 1879 — 1884, 
term 5 years. 
A mature man of large experience, wide travel, and 
broad sympathy. His wife, "Marion Harland," had 
a strong influence on the lives of the young men of the 
church. During his pastorate occurred the Sayford 
revival. 

Rev. Michael Burnham, D.D., 1885 — 1894, term 9 years. 
A man of generous nature who, with his wife, 
endeared himself especially to the young people of the 
church among whom he organized the Y. P. S. C. E. 
(1885). He threw himself unsparingly into all kinds 
of reform work. During a part of his pastorate, 
Horace Sanderson served as pastor's assistant. 

Rev. Frank Lincoln Goodspeed, D.D., 1894 — 1908, 
term 14 years. 
A man of fine presence and delivery who drew large 
audiences. He left Springfield for the First Presby- 
terian Church in Oakland, Cal. During his pastorate 
Milton A. Dixon and Rev. Howard C. Mudie served 
as pastor's assistants. 

Rev. Neil McPherson, D.D., 1910— . 

Born at Bowmanville, Ontario, of Scotch parentage. 
He had two pastorates before coming to Springfield, 
one at St. Paul's Presbyterian Church, Hamilton, 
Ontario, and one at the Tabernacle Presbyterian 
church, Indianapolis. Under his wise and tactful 
leadership the church is steadily growing in power 
and numbers. 

From the time of organization until the settlement of Mr. Reed, 234 
years, the church had but seven pastors; three died in service, and the 
average length of the pastorate of each was 32 years. 



THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS 



PEOPLE OF NOTE IN THE EARLY CHURCH 

William Pynchon, founder of Springfield, formerly 
a warden of the church in Springfield, England, came 
here from Roxbury, Mass. He was a man of sterling 
worth, respected alike by Indians and white men. He 
was a deep thinker as well as a man of affairs^ and 
brought condemnation on himself by his liberal views, 
as expressed in his book, "The Meritorious Price of our 
Redemption." It was publicly burned in the market 
place in Boston and only three copies exist today. 
This trouble led Mr. Pynchon to return to England in 
1652. 

John Pynchon, son of William Pynchon, a far seeing 
man of business, built up the town and commanded so 
much respect that he was called "the worshipful" 
Major Pynchon. His shorthand notes of Mr. Moxon's 
sermons and his account books are preserved in the 
City Library. 

Elizur Holyoke married Mary Pynchon, daughter 
of William Pynchon. He was town clerk for many 
years and much respected. Mt. Holyoke perpetu- 
ates his name. 

Samuel Chapin was a deacon, a magistrate, and a 
man of affairs. He furnished the subject for St. 
Gaudens' statue of the Puritan on Merrick Park. The 
Chapins of the Connecticut Valley trace their ancestry 
to him. 

Miles Morgan was a sturdy citizen, active in town 
affairs, and served as tithingman in the church. He sat 
in the gallery with a long stick to "use such raps and 
blows as is in his discretion meet" for small boys who 
show a "Rude and Idel Behaver in the meeting house 

13 



THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS 

such as Smiling and Larfing." His statue on Court 
Square, the work of J. S. Hartley, erected by Henry T. 
Morgan, a New York banker, stands for the type of 
the early settler. His home site is marked by a tablet 
on Cypress Street (Ferry Lane). 

Samuel Wright served as deacon with Samuel 
Chapin and sometimes took the minister's place. He 
removed in later life to Northampton. The brothers, 
Wilbur and Orville Wright, famous for their invention 
of the aeroplane, are his descendants. 

Henry Smith, son-in-law of William Pynchon, was 
a man of fine caliber, capable of conducting affairs of 
church and state. He returned to England with Mr. 
Pynchon. 

Mary Pynchon Holyoke, daughter of William 
Pynchon, was the first bride in the town. Her epitaph 
on the stone in Peabody cemetery pays this tribute 
to her: 

"Shee y lyes here, was while shee stood, 
A very glory of womanhood." 

Thomas Cooper, carpenter, farmer, selectman, 
lieutenant, lost his life in attempting to warn the 
inhabitants of the approach of the Indians to burn the 
town in 1675. 



14 



THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS 



OFFSPRING OF THE MOTHER CHURCH 

West Springfield church ....... 1696 

Longmeadow church ....... 1703 

Wllbraham church ........ 1741 

Chicopee church ........ 1750 

Unitarian church ........ 1819 

Olivet church , 1833 

South church ......... 1842 

North church 1846 

"We're now Posterity 
To all good folks of yore!'' 

DEACONS OF YESTERDAY AND TODAY 

Samuel Chapin Daniel Reynolds 

Samuel Wright Lewis Warriner 

Jonathan Burt Levi P. Rowland 

Benjamin Parsons John R. Hixon 

John Hitchcock Elbridge Brigham 

James Warriner Henry Morris 

Nathaniel Munn Addison P. Ware 

Henry Burt Roderick Burt 

Nathaniel Brewer Samuel R. Newell 

Jonathan Church Austin L. Leonard 

Josiah Dwight Joseph L. Shipley 

Daniel Harris Thomas S. Stewart 

Moses Bliss John Giles 

William Pynchon, Esq. James L. Johnson 

Chauncey Brewer Stephen Chapin 

John Hooker Charles E. Brown 

George Bliss Pardon H. Derby 

Col. Solomon Warriner Frank A. Lincoln 

Boardman Hubbard Charles B. Holton 

Daniel Bontecou Daniel P. Cole 

George Merriam Charles A. Gleason 

Elijah W^ Dickinson Robert F. Ehni 

Benjamin Eldredge William P. Draper 

Chauncey Chapin John R. Lyman 

IS 



THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS 



MEMBERS OF PARISH COMMITTEE 
{From 1800-1915) 



Daniel Lombard 
Festus Bliss 
Jacob Bliss 
William Sheldon 
Thomas Stebbins 
Israel Chapin 
Solomon Warriner 
Paul Bliss 
Samuel Kingsbury 
Peletiah Bliss 
Oliver B. Morris 
Daniel Bontecou 
George Hooker 
Charles Stearns 
Richard D. Morris 
Fred A. Packard 
Elijah Blake 
Thomas Bond 
Chauncey Chapin 
Bidkav Jones 
Thomas M. Hunt 
Samuel Reynolds 
Jonathan Hunt 
Eldad Goodnjan 
Edward A. Morris 
Josiah Hooker 
Elijah W. Bliss 
Henry L. Bunker 
Henry Morris 
Henry Sergeant 
Philip Wilcox 
Reuben A. Chapman 
L. W. Belden 
James Brewer 



Richard Bliss 
Henry Adams 
William Hatfield 
Charles Stearns 
Ithamar Goodman 
Charles A. Bartlett 
David A. Adams 
John Avery 
George B. Morris 
Caleb Rice 
John B. Kirkham 
Samuel S. Day 
Benjamin Eldredge 
Edmund Palmer 
Chauncey Chapin 
John C. Stebbins 
W^aitstill Hastings 
Henry Bliss 
Daniel Reynolds 
Marvin Chapin 
C. O. Chapin 
John Mills 
Richard Chapin 
Philip Chapin 
C. L. Covell 
Otis Childs 
Stephen C. Bemis 
William Birnie 
Elisha Morgan 
Luther Bliss, Jr. 
B. B. Woodford 
Roderick Burt 
William K. Baker 
W. J. Holland 



i6 



THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS 



MEMBERS OF PARISH COMMITTEE^Continued 



Warren H. Wilkinson 
Caleb Alden 
Emerson Wight 
S. W. Avery 
Francis A. Brewer 
John R. Hixon 
Nelson C. Newell 
H. B. Lane 



James L. Johnson 
E. C. Rogers 
William H. Haile 
W. L. Barnard 
C. E. Brown 

B. F. Steele 
A. N. Mayo 

C. L. Goodhue 



1915 

A. B. Wallace (since 1880) H. A. Ley 

A. A. Packard (since 1882) C. A. Gleason 

W. O. Day H. G. Webster 

H. C. Haile 



Ralph W. Ellis, Clerk 

(Has served at intervals as clerk or treasurer since 1887) 

W. R. Thacker, Treasurer 
A. N. Drake, Collector 

(Mr. Drake completed 25 years of very efficient service as sexton, May ist, 1914) 



On the roll of the First Church membership and parish have 
been many men and women prominent in the life of the city. 
Among them are the following who have served as mayors: 



Caleb Rice 
William B. Calhoun 
Stephen C. Bemis 
Charles A. Winchester 



Emerson Wight 
WiUiam H. Haile 
Edwin D. Metcalf 
Charles L. Long 
Ralph W. Ellis 



17 



THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS 



YOUNG PEOPLE'S SOCIETY OF CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR 



Organized in April, 1885, by Rev. Michael Burnham, D. D, 



Presidents of the Society since Its organization are: 



William P. Draper, 
Lewis W. Allen, 
William L. Richards, 
William N. Raymond, 
George M. Hoadley, 
Richard J, Huntington, 
Robert C. Sherwood, 
James L. Dixon, 
Fannie Stebblns, 
C. Leonard Holton, 
George Thacker, 
Milton A. Dixon, 
Henry R. Brown, 
Frederick H. Law, 
J. Frank Low, 
Austin J. Pratt, 
Sheldon F. Allen, 
Charles L. Beckwith, 
John Williams, 
Harold D. Ripley, 
F. W. Rosenberg, 
Charles H. Smith, 
C. Leonard Holton, 
Sydney F. Law, 
Herbert W. Hicks, 



1885-86 
1886-87 
1887-88 
1888-89 
1889-90 
1890-91 
1891-92 
1892-93 
1893-94 
1894-95 
1895-96 
1896-97 
1897-98 
1898-99 
I 899-00 
1900-02 
1902-03 
1903-05 
1905-06 
1906-08 
1908-09 
1909-10 
1910-11 
1911-13 
1913- 



18 



THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS 



MISSIONARIES WHO ONCE ATTENDED FIRST CHURCH 

Foreign 

FIELD 

Martha Ely (married Daniel Temple) Malta 

Samuel Osgood Wright Liberia 

Rev. Story Hebard^ Syria 

Rev. Samuel Bonney China 

Rev. Wm. W. Rowland India 

Rev. S. H. Calhoun Syria 

Rev. Edwin E. Bliss Turkey 
Emma L. Bliss (married Henry J. Van 

Lennep) Smyrna 
Margaret Bell (married Rev. Henry 

Haskell) Bulgaria 

Mary E. Reynolds Bulgaria 

Rev. and Mrs. R. N. Hume India 
Louisa E. Dietz (married Frank 

Thompson) f Sandwich Islands 

\ Valparaiso, Chile 

Rev. Henry Bruce India 
Rev. and Mrs. E. M. Pease (Mrs. Pease 

formerly Miss H. A. Sturtevant) Micronesia 

S. Alice Tupper Turkey 

Home 

Frederick Packard 

Mrs. Laura Bliss Montgomery 

Horace Sanderson 

Ethel L. Leonard 

E. M. Atwood 

The church keeps the missionary spirit alive through its 
representative, Rev. Clarence Douglas Ussher, M.D., who is 
doing a noble work as medical missionary in Van, Turkey. 

19 



THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS 



THE BIBLE SCHOOL 

The Sunday School was organized In 1818 from a 
nucleus which met in a private house. Two rewards 
of merit bearing this date are In the archives of the 
church. Until the completion of the new church In 
1 8 19, the sessions were held In schoolhouses. After that 
date the school was held In the audience room of the 
church. Up to 1826 no school was held In the winter as 
there was no means of heating the church. After the 
furnace was installed In 1826, sessions were held every 
Sunday but the time varied at different periods; some- 
times it was at noon and sometimes (as late as in the 
early eighties) in the afternoon. 

The following are the names of some of the best 
known superintendents: 

Lewis Warrlner William P. Draper 

Addison P. Ware ^^^^^:"f VT\ 

wir T u 11 A Daniel P. Cole 

Wilham J. Holland ^.^^^^ ^ j^.^^^ 

Elbridge Brigham Chflp^^^ ^ patter 

Samuel R. Newell William R. Armstrong 

James L. Johnson Rev. Louis F. Giroux 

William H. Halle Francis A. Day 

Benjamin L. Bragg William L. Richards 

Adelbert J. Brooks 

PRIMARY DEPARTMENT 

Before the chapel was built the sessions were held in the tower room of the church. 

Super in tenden ts 

Mrs. Henry Avery, Before 1851 — 1861 

Mrs. John R. Hixon, 1862— 1887 

Mrs. Horace Sanderson, 1888 — 1892 

Mrs. Daniel P. Cole, 1892— 1895 

20 



THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS 



SUPERINTENDENTS— Continued 

Mrs. George PIrnie, 1895 — 1897 

Mrs. J. B. Sprulll, 1897— 1899 

Mrs. W. B. Grant, 1899 

Mrs. John R. Lyman, 1899 — 1900 

Mrs. George Tuthlll, 1900 — 1901 

Lucy Stock, 1901 — 1908 

Carrie H. Osgood, 1908 — 



KINDERGARTEN DEPARTMENT 
Organized 1897 

(Held at noon until 191 1 when it was changed to a morning session.) 

Super in tenden ts 

Anna L. Johnson, 1897 — 1899 

Carrie E. Rhodes, 1899 

Grace A. Johnson, 1900 — 1902 

LilHan F. Collins, 1903 — 1905 

Helen R. Lombard, 1905 — 1909 
Mrs. Ruth Kingsley Frey, 1909 

Lucy B. Cole, 1910 — 1914 

Anna L. Johnson, 1914 — 



JUNIOR DEPARTMENT 
Organized 1910 

Super in tenden ts 

Carrie H. Osgood, 1910 — 191 1 

Mrs. Horace Sanderson, 191 1 

Mrs. John R. Lyman, 191 1 — 



THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS 



MUSIC AND MUSICIANS 

Little is known of the music in the church before 
1800. In 1 801, Solomon Warriner, a native of Wilbra- 
ham, became choir director and held the position for 
more than forty years. He was so good a leader that 
when he left the city temporarily, members of the 
church raised $1,200 to bring him back. He could sing 
bass or tenor with equal ease. The "Springfield Col- 
lection of Sacred Music" was compiled by him in 1813, 
and in that book it is said for the first time in this 
country, the air was given to the treble instead of to 
the tenor voice. 

There were from seventy-five to one hundred voices 
in the choir in those days and they occupied three rows 
of seats in the gallery at the rear of the church. The 
leader stood in the center of the second row and beat 
time with his hand. Back of the singers sat the players, 
among whom were the following: 

Double bass — John B. KIrkham 

Violoncello — Cyrus Newell (served 30 years) 

Flute — Henry Brewer (father of H. and J. Brewer) 

Flute — George A. Crossett 

Clarinet — William S. Elwell, the artist 

Violin — Albert H. Kirkham 

In singing hymns the audience rose and faced the 
singers in the gallery. 



THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS 

MEMBERS OF THE CHOIR IN EARLY DAYS 
Organists 

Abraham G. Tannatt Frederick Bly 

John H. Goldthwaite E. S. Hoadley 

Thomas Chubbuck A. C. Field 

Richard S. Escott Edward Dickinson 

William C. McClellan Louis Coenen 

James L. Warriner Mrs. Jennie Crawford 

Edward H. Phelps Lillia Scott 

(1862-65) Charles L. Chapin 

Edward A. Morris Julia W. Roberts 

Miranda Chapin William R. Hitt 

Singers 

Col. Solomon Warriner. 

Gen. Jacob Bliss (father of the president of the B. & A. rail- 
road). 

Col. Thomas Dwight. 

Mary Dwight (later Mrs. John Howard). 

John IngersoU (father of Major Edward Ingersoll). 

Elizabeth Ingersoll (later Mrs. Dwight Ripley). 

Mary Ingersoll (later Mrs. Worthington Hooker). 

Ocran Dickinson (grandfather of Miss Julia B. Dickinson). 

William Hatfield (court crier). 

Col. Lewis Gorham. 

Samuel Reynolds (president of Chicopee Bank). 

George T. Bond (father of George R. Bond). 

Mary Warriner (daughter of Colonel Warriner, later Mrs. 
Henry Morris). 

William Foster. 

Maria Foster. 

23 



THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS 
SINGERS~Con tin ued 

Emily Bliss (later Mrs. William Bryant). 
Mary L. Chapin (later Mrs. T. L. Chapman). 
Harriet Chapin (later Mrs. William Birnle). 
Charles A. Winchester (ex-mayor). 
Major Edward Ingersoll. 
Louisa Dickinson. 

Emmeline Dickinson (later Mrs. Thomas Bishop). 
Mrs. R. S. Escott. 
Jarvis G. Shaw. 

Mrs. Emily Baker (later Mrs. Charles Newell). 
Hannah Goodman. K. Arthur Dearden. 

Charles O. Chapin. Emma Hayden. 

Nelson Newell. W. G. White. 

Samuel Newell. Emily Quinby. 

Charles Newell. William H. Hawkes. 

Horace S. Newell. William T. Wilson. 

John C. Spooner. Charles Mulchahey. 

Ginevra McClean. Mrs. Emily C. Beach. 

Elizabeth Root Frank A. Whiting. 

Amos Whiting. Edward A. Morris. 

Louise Dickinson Lucy B. Shumway 

Oliver H. Perry. Ella M. Bissell. 

L. F. Cam Frank G. Fisher. 

Jennie S. Newell. 

MEMBERS OF THE CHOIR OF LATER DAYS 
Organists 

Edward H. Phelps, 1881— 1888 
Richard W. Crowe, 1889 

John J. Bishop, 1890 — 1896 

John Hermann Loud, 1896 — 1900 
Harry H. Kellogg, 1900— 
24 



THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS 



Singers 



James C. IngersoU 

(served i6 years) 

Mrs. James C. IngersoU 

(served i6 years) 

George R. Bond 

(served 9 years) 

Fannie Chamberlain 

(served 8 years) 

John Leshure 
Julia B. Dickinson 
Fred C. Goodwin 
Emille Gehring 
William Spellman 
Mr. G. Curtis Munson 
Mrs. G. Curtis Munson 
Harry L. Reed 
Ila B. Roberts 
H. J. Buckley 
Frank E. Wheeler 
Mrs. F. E. Fankhauser 



Charles H. Miner 
Mrs. Edward Burnham 
Mrs. M. G. Guckenberger 
C. L. Hoyt 
Charles H. Drude 
Lovira J. Tait 
Hazel Huntley 
Willis Chamberlain 
Marjorie Clifford 
Mrs. F. Leon Sample 
Millicent Snow 
Walter Marsh 
W. L. Spittal 
Anna M. Wollmann 
Viora Allan 
Edward E. Hosmer 
Richard C. Campbell 
Kathleen G. Swift 



Meta S. Mallary 

(The Dickinson family sang in the choir for lOO years with the excep- 
tion of a few months. The IngersoU, Newell and Warriner families were 
represented for three generations.) 

ORGANS 

The first organ was built in 1849 at a cost of ^3,000 
by E. and G. G. Hook of Boston. It had 2 manuals, 
2 combination pedals and 34 stops. It was placed at 
the rear of the gallery. At the dedicatory concert the 
oratorio "David" was given by a chorus choir. 

The second organ was built in 1 881 by Steere and 
Turner of Springfield, and cost $8,000. It had 3 key- 



25 



THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS 

boards and pedals, 40 stops, 23 11 pipes, 4 pedal com- 
binations and tracker action. It was placed at the 
front of the church. It was secured largely through the 
efforts of E. H. Phelps, the organist, and J. C. Ingersoll, 
the tenor soloist. It was dedicated by a concert 
December 5, 1881, given by Dr. J. M. Loretz, an 
organist of New York City, and George Henschel, 
baritone soloist. 

The third organ (the present one) was rebuilt from 
the old one in 1914 by the Ernest M. Skinner Co. of 
Boston, and cost $12,000. It has 4 keyboards and 
pedals, detached console, 53 stops, 21 adjustable com- 
binations, and other mechanical accessories. The 
action is electro-pneumatic. The rich black walnut 
case is the same which graced the old organ and the 
best of the pipes were kept. It was dedicated by a 
concert given by Gaston Dethier of New York City, 
with Miss Anna M. Wollmann as soprano soloist. 

SOME FIRST CHURCH ANTIQUITIES 

The First Church Rooster was brought from 
England over 150 years ago together with two others, 
one on the Old South Church in Boston and the 
other on the First Church in Newburyport. Tra- 
dition says that he had already glistened on a spire in 
England and was a gift of a sea captain to the colony. 
He measures four feet from tail to beak and weighs 
49 pounds. A few papers and records are stored with 
him for safe keeping. Poised on a glass cap, working 
smoothly over a metal pivot, he always tells the truth 
concerning the direction of the wind. 

27 



THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS 

The cock used as a weather vane on church buildings 
is a symbol of vigilance — the bird is the harbinger of 
the approach of day. In connection with the story of 
Peter, he may be a sign of the need of repentance. 

"How dear to our hearts is the old First Church rooster, 
When near or when far he's presented to view: 
For years he has stood there with never a murmur 
And never a whisper of tales that he knew: 
How much he has seen from the top of the steeple. 
So true to his post as the seer of the church: 
The bright shining rooster, the patient old rooster, 
The dear faithful rooster that ne'er leaves his perch." 

The First Communion Service was of pewter, 
and was used from 1742 to 1789 when it was presented 
to the First Church in Ludlow. It is now^ in the His- 
torical room in Hubbard Memorial Library, Ludlow. 

The Second Communion Service was of silver; 
two tankards and two cups were the gift of Josiah' 
Dwight, Esq., two cups were given by Edward Pynchon, 
Esq., and four by Hon. John Worthington. The 
rest of the set was probably purchased by the church, 
in whose possession it is still retained. 

The Third Communion Service (the individual 
one now in use) was presented by Mrs. Joseph L. 
Shipley, widow of a beloved deacon of the church, 
in 1896. 

The Communion Table which is of mahogany, was 
brought from Boston about 18 18. 

29 



THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS 

The "Osgood Chairs" behind the communion table 
are thought to have been purchased about 1818. 

The Tower Clock was installed in 1826, by G. H. 
Holbrook of Medway, Mass. The works still remain 
in the tower, and the gilded pointers and pendulum 
adorn the walls of the sexton's room. 

The Church Clock hangs on the gallery facing the 
pulpit and bears the inscription: "A bequest to the 
First Church by Edward Pynchon, Esq., 1850." 

The Clock in the Sunday School Room was given 
by Dr. David Smith and Eunice Brewer Smith in 
memory of their son George T. Smith, in 1874. 

The Church Bell was purchased of G. H. Holbrook 
of Medway, Mass., shortly after 18 19. 

The Old Pulpit Bible, now in the possession of the 
Connecticut Valley Historical Society, was the gift of 
John Worthington, in 1776. 

The beautiful Collection Plates in use were pur- 
chased upwards of thirty years ago by the church at 
Paine's in Boston, at a cost of ^80 (^10 each). They 
took the place of bags on the end of rods. 

Of the four Pianos in the Chapel, the two in the 
parlors were memorial gifts. One was presented by 
Mr. and Mrs. James L. Johnson to the kindergarten 
department in memory of Helen Chamberlin Johnson 
and Essie May Ewer; the other was the gift of Mrs. 
M. A. Clyde in memory of her daughter, Carrie Minnie 
Clyde. 

30 



THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS 

MILESTONES 
{Church and Town History) 

1636 Springfield settled. 

1637 First Congregational Church organized. 
1637 First minister called. 

1 64 1 Springfield incorporated as a town. 

1645 First meeting house built. 

1650 William Pynchon's book burned. 

1652 William Pynchon returned to England. 

1675 Town burned by the Indians. 

1677 Second meetinghouse built. 

1679 First schoolhouse built on Ferry Lane (Cypress 

Street). 

1696 West Springfield Church organized (first offshoot of 

the main church). 

1735 Famous Breck controversy. 

1752 Third church building completed. 

1775 Washington's first visit to Springfield. 

1782 First newspaper in Springfield published — Massachu- 

setts Gazette. 

1783 Stage line established between Hartford and Spring- 

field. 
1787 Shays' rebellion. 
1805 First bridge built over the Connecticut. 

1818 Sunday School organized. 

1819 Fourth (present) church building erected. 
1819 Court Square opened. 

1822 Standing committee instituted. 
1824 Springfield Republican founded. 
1826 Four missionaries ordained in the church. 
1841 Peabody Cemetery opened: use of burying ground 
back of church given up. 

31 



THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS 

1848 John Quincy Adams's body lay in state in the church. 

185 1 Grand concert in the church by Jenny Lind. 

1852 Springfield became a city. 

1880 Twelfth annual meeting of the Woman's Board of the 
A. B. C. F. M. in First Church. 

1885 Y. P. S. C. E. organized. 

1886 Celebration of 250th anniversary of the settlement of 

Springfield. 

1887 Meeting of A. B. C. F. M. in First Church. 

1898 Thirtieth annual meeting of Woman's Board of the 
A. B. C. F. M. in First Church. 

1910 Dr. McPherson installed. 

191 1 Celebration of 275th anniversary of founding of 

Springfield. 
1913 Forty-fifth annual meeting of the Woman's Board 
of the A. B. C. F. M. in First Church. 



"Let the children guard what the sires have won.' 



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